Influence mechanisms of digital construction organizations’ capabilities on performance: evidence from SEM and fsQCA

Purpose With the rise of digital construction, using organizational capabilities to improve project performance in a turbulent environment has become critical for the high-quality development of the construction industry. However, the complex relationships among them remain unclear. Therefore, this study explores these linear relationships under the digital construction mode and reveals the driving mechanism of multi-factor linkage on project performance. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 263 project participants in digital construction projects in China using a questionnaire. Hypothesis testing was conducted using partial least square structural equation modeling, and the differentiated patterns of project performance formation were revealed through fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Findings Organizational information technology, innovation, coordination, integration management and emergency management capabilities improve project performance. Environmental turbulence is a positive moderator between coordination capabilities and project performance, while other capabilities do not align with environmental turbulence. The research obtained five equivalent configurations for achieving high project performance, such as “capability layout” and “internal driven,” and two paths that lead to non-high project performance. Finally, in contrast to existing studies, we discovered the outstanding contribution of emergency management capabilities to project performance and the auxiliary effect of information technology capabilities. Originality/value This study innovatively integrates a dimensional framework of construction project organizations’ capabilities under a digital construction mode and extends the organizational capabilities to the specific and operational capability dimension level. Furthermore, this study opens the “black box” of the influence of organizational capabilities on project performance in environmental turbulence and reveals the differentiated and equivalent configurations for the formation of project performance. The study broadens the theoretical perspective of organizational capabilities on project performance research in the digital context and provides practical enlightenment for guiding the capability configuration of construction project organizations in a turbulent environment. The study broadens the theoretical perspective of organizational capabilities on project performance research in the digital context and provides practical enlightenment for guiding the capability configuration of construction project organizations in a turbulent environment.